1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a service providing device, a printing system control method, and a storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
There is a print system in which a print instruction is transmitted from a client to a server, and the server that receives the print instruction converts the content for printing to print data. A configuration has been conventionally proposed wherein a Web server provides a client with a Web service. In recent years, cloud computing has also attracted attention as a configuration for providing a service from a web server to a client. A main feature of cloud computing is that data conversion and data processing are executed in a distributed manner using many computing resources so as to process requests from many clients in a simultaneous manner. At present, vendors provide various types of services in a disorganized manner by implementing web services in a cloud computing environment to realize cloud computing.
For example, Google® has developed a mechanism for data communication designed to provide services in conjunction with image forming apparatuses, and has publicly disclosed interfaces designed for image forming apparatuses to conduct data communication in a cloud computing environment prepared by Google®. By installing this interface in image forming apparatuses, it is possible for a client to designate an image forming apparatus to conduct printing, even if the image forming apparatus and the server are connected via the Internet. This is called a cloud print system.
For utilizing the aforementioned Webserver (hereinafter referred to as a “service providing device”, a user who is a client needs to acquire an account of the service providing device, and to register a printer. Firstly, the user causes an image forming device to connect to and communicate with a service providing device via a network. The user who registers the image forming device directly operates an operation unit of the image forming device or remotely operates the operation unit by using a user device and a network so as to initiate printer registration processing. Alternatively, the user can use an application for registration that has been prepared by respective venders.
Assume an environment where, for example, a user registers an image forming device, via a network, from a user device in the service providing device by using a registration screen that is provided by the service providing device. The user who logged into the service providing device receives an operation screen from the service providing device. For example, icons for accessing a registration screen that provide a printer registration method that varies according to the vender are displayed on this operation screen, and a user can access a printer registration screen of a desired vender. A printer registration screen acquired at this point is a screen that is provided by the vender. By accessing, a user device receives the printer registration screen that is provided by the vender. This enables the user to confirm a printer registration method and to execute printer registration. At this time, the user can use an application for registration in order to perform printer registration that is prepared by the vender.
However, when current printer registration method is employed, a user has to access a printer registration screen that is provided by each vender, and to confirm a printer registration method that varies according to the vender. When a user uses an application for registration, such an application also varies according to the vender and the additional installation of the application imposes a lot of labor to a user. In other words, a user can get a printer registration method on an operation screen provided by the service providing device, but cannot collectively register image forming devices that vary according to the vender by means of a series of a registration operation on this operation screen. That is, the operation screen provided by the service providing device does not function as a printer registration screen for registering one or more image forming devices of which a registration method varies according the vender in the service providing device by means of a series of registration operations independent of the vender.